Library Makerspace Survey: It’s Time to Dream Big
by Allison Cavis, Library IT Specialist
What is a Makerspace?
a place where people with shared interests can gather to work on projects while sharing ideas, equipment, and knowledge.
That sounds a little bit like a library, doesn’t it? We agree, and that’s the reason a Makerspace is a great fit for our community.
Our Makerspace today is the result of several years of study, built around your feedback and the Library’s strategic plan. The room is open. There’s an easy-to-clean floor, rolling tables, a big (very big) whiteboard, and plenty of cabinet space. It’s a blank slate, and now we’re ready for the fun part: we need your help to fill it in!
We would like to borrow a few minutes of your time and ask you to take the Makerspace Survey at estesvalleylibrary.org/makersurvey. We want to hear about the programs and tools you’d like to see in this new space. Is creativity important to you? Do you want to connect with STEM learning and 21st century skills? Would you like to explore fiber arts with friends? Are you looking for a home for a writers’ group? Perhaps you have a talent you would like to share. Maybe you need hand tools for repair projects, a 3D printer to prototype your inventions, or digitizing equipment to preserve your family memories. There are no right or wrong answers—think big!
After March 15, we’ll gather the results, and your ideas will guide us: where to focus library resources, how to equip the room, and which programs to launch in the months and years ahead to meet community needs and interests.
In its first few weeks, the Makerspace has had a great start. We welcomed over 70 people— young children, teenagers, adults and seniors— to the Launch Party in January, where we had fun together using tools to discover what’s hiding inside old computers, phones and VCRs. We’ve had great responses from the community to our first handful of Makerspace activities: digital drawing with Inkscape, soldering, and more.
We’re excited to use the Makerspace for those hands-on activities you’ve told us you’d like to see at the library, but for which we’ve never had quite the right space.
Watch for our Repair Clinic: Bicycle Tuneup Tips coming on April 23. This event, like many Makerspace activities, is made possible by our great community partners, and great volunteers.
We are grateful to the Library Friends & Foundation and to two very generous donors who have made the Makerspace possible. Their dream is for us to be creative, learn joyously, and pursue our curiosity.
Your participation in the Makerspace Survey will be key to helping us realize that dream.